Halloween Limited Edition
Welcome Hawks!
Safety Drill: Dog Search
Hello Highcrest Families,
As you know, the safety of our students and schools is our top priority. This year, we are adding the proactive safety step of implementing unannounced dog searches. Our first search will be this month. This safety drill has taken place at Wilmette Junior High School, and we are looking forward to bringing this practice to Highcrest this school year.
These dogs are trained to detect the presence of many prohibited items, including:
illicit drugs and narcotics
gunpowder-based items
alcoholic beverages
commonly abused prescription and over-the-counter medications
The company that we partner with has trained school safety dogs to conduct random, unannounced inspections. These dogs are friendly, non-aggressive breeds such as Golden and Labrador Retrievers. Searches will be conducted at random in common areas, hallways, lockers, and grounds. If a prohibited item is found, we will initiate appropriate action in accordance with our existing school policies and procedures.
Prior to bringing the safety dogs in to search, we will provide background to the students during homeroom. The information will include what the school safety dogs are trained to search for and how it will happen.
We take every reasonable precaution to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment and we believe that this proactive step will play a key role in achieving our goal of deterrence.
Thank you for your partnership in helping to keep all of our students safe,
Anthony Haduch
Principal
Tony DeMonte
Assistant Superintendent for Technology and Safety
Halloween Costumes at HMS
As we prepare for our early release schedule on Friday, October 31, we wanted our Highcrest Families to have some tips for success.
Q: What are the school day hours that day?
A: The school day will run from 8:37 AM through 11:46 AM.
Q: Can students dress up for Halloween that day?
A: Yes! Students can dress up in school and age-appropriate costumes, but there are some limits to consider.
Q: What are the limits or restrictions for costumes that day?
A: Yes! For the school day, students should not:
- Bring props (weapons, toys, light-sabers) for their costumes
- Wear masks or face paint
- Need to prepare and get dressed in any of the costumes while at school, come prepared
- Wear inflatables as they will be in the deflated state throughout the school day
Additional considerations:
- Students should be comfortable and wear shoes that allow them to navigate the stairs and the school.
- Students are not able to pass out or share candy while at school.
Candy While at School
We've heard from students that on their way to school, they are stopping with their bikes at a store like a Walgreens and picking up bags of candy, like bags of Jolly Ranchers. Students then pass these out and even attempt to sell them to peers before or after school. We imagine there may even be attempts to sell throughout the school day. Please help us by reminding students that they should not buy or sell materials from each other, nor should they share food or candy here at school. We appreciate any reinforcement you can help provide in partnership with our school!